Spring Break
by JoBeth Kersey
Summary: When Hades met Sephy; two Gods falling in Love, nothing could be simpler, right? Romance, drama, sarcasm, puns and obnoxious animal sidekicks; it must be time for a Greek Myth! Hades/Persephone.
1. Chapter 1: Flower Baby

Author's Note: Happy New Year peeps! I realize that it's been some time since I updated my Batman fic, but I've gotta be honest, I don't see that panning out. Sorta hit a creative standstill, I'm afraid. Anywho, inspiration has given me a kick in the form of _The Abduction of Persephone_, Disney Style. Oh, yeah.

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><p>Disclaimer: This version Persephone and Echo belong to me. All other characters belong to their respective owners. I don't own, and I don't earn.<p>

Spring Break

Chapter one; Flower Baby

"No. _No_. No with a capital 'Nu'!" the lump under the sheets pouted, trying to crouch into the World's tiniest, most insignificant ball. An African grey parrot hopped over the talking invisible bump, practically hyperventilating.

"Where in Gods' names do I hide? I'm rubbish at this game, there's too much pressure on my bird-sized cranium!"

"Petal? Are you in here?" Mumsy Dearest chimed, pulling back the covers.

The guilty party groaned: Seriously? Persephone mentally kicked herself; a luscious island she knew like the back of her Divine hand- complete with hiding places her mother didn't know about- and she'd chosen to hide _under the sheets._ If Persephone had be a Vengeance Goddess, she would have cursed herself there and then.

Ho hum, maybe she'd run into Nemesis at this dreaded party.

"You silly sprout, this is no time for Hide and Seek!" Demeter chuckled heartily, ruffling her daughter's scruffy, peach-coloured hair.

"Oh my, you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards!" Demeter cringed. The parrot, ironically named Echo, jumped onto her friend's shoulder.

"She was. Those hedges didn't take too kindly to being created" Echo remarked, shuddering.

Demeter sighed, looking at her daughter's short hair, dirty face and bare feet. She could've run circles around Artemis sporting that look, which was _not_ a style she appreciated on her beautiful Petal.

"We're going to be so _late. _Where's your Peplos?"

Uh-oh. Persephone tilted her head curiously, pressing her fingers to her lip in an attempt to look thoughtful.

"Remember? The Peplos you wore last year? With my headdress?"

"Oh. Sweet Baby Hercules. _Not _the headdress" Echo whispered to her friend. Persephone giggled.

"Oh, the Peplos! That's a funny story..." she trailed off sheepishly.

Demeter glowered "What kind of funny story?"

"A, uh, riveting tale of wholesome fun, friendship and a uh..uh..homemadetrampoline" Persephone squeaked out the last part.

"What? You and your friends did WHAT? Well, where's the headdress?"

Again, Persephone giggled and mumbled something along the lines of "usingitformywormfarm".

That had done it. Demeter went into an epic rant of Homeric proportions. On and on about how the Graces had weaved that Peplos specially, how it had been passed down from Rhea to all of her daughters. She then moved on to the Younger Generation of Gods, how they didn't know they'd been born (or transformed, or emerged, depending on who you heard the story from);how those Oceanaids were trouble with a capita 'Tao' and she should banish them back to the sea.

"Oh Gods, Mom, _please_ don't do that. They're my friends, and it wasn't even their idea! This isn't even about them. I don't _want_ to go to Mount Olympus!" Persephone whined.

"Well, why on Earth not?"

"I don't know the other Gods; I feel _shy_ around them" temper tantrum was failing; time for Persephone to try the softly-softly approach "I'm too big to hide in your robes now..."

It was working. The mention of Tiny Persephone was always a weak spot for Demeter. All she needed now was a bit of emotional blackmail. Persephone gazed wistfully out to the fields where their goats grazed.

"These festivals..every spring they kill a pregnant pig. Those mommies, those babies..it makes me so _sad_" this wasn't strictly a lie, but Persephone's green eyes were very bleary and doe-like, and her bottom lip was wobbling. She was laying it on so thick- a performance worthy of the Atticus.

"Seph, people at a flea market wouldn't buy this crap" Echo hissed into her ear.

Demeter would, though.

"Oh, Petal. Don't get sad.; they only sacrifice pregnant sows because they are notorious crop destroyers. We wouldn't want our dear little mortals to starve to death, would we?" Demeter said gently, stroking her daughter's hair.

"No...no we wouldn't"

"There's a good girl. Oh! I love you so much" Demeter kissed her daughter's nose "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to"

Ha, Result! This was a bigger win than the Trojan War!

"Really? Because Artemis was telling me about this...uhm, great continent in the East...I well, was sorta hoping to take the girls and..."

"Stop, young lady. You don't leave this island without me. We established that rule when you were a toddler"

"I know, but that was when I was a toddler. I'm 179 now. Please? Echo would keep me in check, and I'd write to you every day, I promise" Persephone insisted, a Echo bobbed her head approvingly.

"No. With a capital 'Nu'" Demeter replied.

"Mom, please! It's really not fair to keep me cooped on this Island-"

"I said _No, _Persephone! You don't leave this island without me, and if I hear from Poseidon that you tried to, I'll banish the nymphs _and _Echo!"

Persephone let out a small gasp. Her mother couldn't, wouldn't, do something like that to her, right? This time, her crushed look was genuine. Demeter looked slightly mournful as she gripped Persephone's arm sympathetically, attempting to offer an olive branch.

"Keep the place tidy, and please do something about your hair. We'll talk about it when I get back"

A week or so back, Demeter had (lovingly) berated her daughter's hair for being ever-so-slightly too long and unruly and only needing the _teeniest _trim. After the subject coming up hourly for three days straight, Persephone, in a childish tantrum, had practically scalped herself. Naturally, it wasn't Persephone's fault; Demeter had blamed the nymph Cyane for handing her the shears. Sulking, Persephone closed her eyes and willed her crew cut to grow out, until her hair reached to the small of her back. Making things grow had its perks (nudge nudge, wink wink).

"There's my good girl. I'll be back before you know it"

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><p>A Spring Festival, wasn't that just peachy? A celebration of life, how <strong>perfect<strong>; Gods, he just _lived _for this stuff. The Lord of the Underworld grimaced; on top of all this flowery stuff, the fertility aspects made the Gods and mortals go kinda...fruity. _Oy_.

"Sunshine, flowers, _cute little baby animals_: sounds like my kinda party" Hades sarcastically grumbled, sipping his fruit punch. Once again, round-the-sundial Underworld duties meant he was his own designated driver, again. Maybe he could throw a couple of drachmas Charon's way...

"Hey, we've got ourselves a pillar-flower. What are you hiding in the dark for, Bro? Anyone would think you were up to something" The Almighty Zeus chuckled. Was that another of his dear baby brother's attempts at humour? Zeus punched him on the arm a little harder than usual.

'Memo to me: put arm back in socket before boarding chariot'.

"Heh, you've been waitin' _all afternoon _to say that, haven't you, Zeusy?" he remarked, giving Zeus his perfected fake smile. Tragic thing was, that wasn't even a cutting comeback on Hades' part; Zeus probably _had _been waiting hours to say that. Even so, any deities within earshot fell over their Divine selves laughing, splitting their Divine sides.

Speaking of bursting at the seams, the guest of honour had just walked in. Demeter waved regally, laughing heartily and handing out fruit baskets.

"Demi, baby! Love what you've done this year! Almost as good as last year, and the year before that. Can't wait to see what you do next year!" he said mockingly. Demeter casually laughed off his sarcasm, and even gave the disgruntled God a fruit basket, complete with death glare.

"Death glare for the Lord of the Dead? _Priceless._"

Not that Demeter had ever been his number I fan previously, but the whole, uh, misunderstanding with Mount Olympus (which Hades liked to refer to as a 'Political makeover') was still a sore spot with the other deities. Even so, Zeus had invited him to the party and insisted bygones be bygones. To his credit, Zeus was too buffoonish- uh, _benevolent_- to hold a grudge, chalking it up to his big brother's crazy antics; more comedy gold courtesy of Hades; something _everyone _would laugh at still for centuries, and centuries, and centuries... Yadda, yadda, you get the mosaic.

Even the incident with the Cyclops hadn't warranted respect from the mortals, what with Jerkules sticking his oar in, as per. Hades decided to stop that chariot of thought, pulling an apple out from his hamper. The fruit sizzled, turning brown and sizzling in his grey hand. He started to amuse himself by poking holes in the fruit until it resembled a rotting skull.

"Y'know, I'm not one to cramp a cat's creative flow, but playin' with your food isn't cool, Babe"

Oy, vey. Nothing like an interval with Zeus's wingman to get the party started; hades couldn't even be bothered to come up with a sarcastic quip. Okay, just the one.

"Yeesh Hermes. Little tip for the future; the only time I want something with wings coming at me is when it's deep fried and covered in hot sauce."

Bada Bing, II points to the Underworld.

"Hey, man, I was just wondering what you were up to"

"Ah well, y'know, not much in the works: just a little Mayhem, a Plague here and there and hey, I was thinking of taking up fruit sculpture" Hades replied flatly.

Truth was, all Hades was plotting was an excuse to leave the party.


	2. Chapter 2: Wager of the Titans

Disclaimer: This version of Persephone is mine; all other characters belong to their respective owners. I don't own, and I don't earn

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><p><span>Chapter Two: Wager of the Titans<span>

"To Demeter!" Zeus proclaimed, raising a goblet to his sister-in-law. Dionysus raised a whole bottle of retsina, not even bothering with a goblet any more.

"Keep it comin'!" he slurred merrily. Demeter chuckled and bowed to her peers as whoops and waves of applause rippled through the Gods. Deities started shouting out their testimonies to the Goddess like they were at auction.

"Loved what you did with the Barley this year, Babe" Hermes remarked.

"And thanks for those fly traps, by the way. They're a Gods send in the hot weather" Helios praised. Demeter looked sheepish.

"Oh, _those_. That was down to Persephone. Yes, um, a moment of brilliant madness" Demeter laughed awkwardly. What on Gaia's Earth _had _possessed her daughter to create plants that could bite? Demeter had chalked it up to Persephone's fear of creepy crawlies and a slightly warped sense of humour; until, at least, the 'Venus Fly Traps' were a huge hit with the mortals. They must have hated bugs almost as much as Persephone did.

"Is the little lady gonna make an appearance?" asked Dionysus, in between stuffing fig rolls down his Divine gullet.

"Oh, no, no. She's in the middle of one of her experiments. I couldn't possibly drag her away. Besides, she gets very shy around you other Gods"

There was a chorus of endeared 'Aaahs', (though Hades stuck his fingers down his throat when he did it) then the Gods resumed their chatting and drunken partying. Three hours and five red wines later, and Demeter was ready for a drunken rant. Being an inherently down-to-Earth Goddess made Demeter less arrogant than the other Olympus dwellers, and not too proud to admit when something was wrong. Even so, for dignity's sake, Hera ushered her little sister behind a great pillar for a heart-to-heart. When it came to family, Demeter knew that out of her two older sisters, Hera was the one to talk to. A mother herself, she knew what it was like to have a child that gave her a headache. Hestia, bless her hearth, could never see passed the blisses of Domesticity.

"Don't get me wrong Hera. I _love _Persephone" she slurred.

"Anyone can see that, Dear" Hera responded gently.

"It's just these last few years have been so _trying_"

"Oh Dems, I imagine it's very tiring for both of you, stuck on that island all the time. You know that Persephone's more than welcome to-"

"But **how** could it be awful in Sicily? I've given Persephone the perfect life on that island; playing space, no responsibilities – save for those plant experiments she _always_ makes a mess with- the Oceanaids, that bad-mannered little pet of hers-" Demeter wildly gestured her green hand around, so forcefully that a bronze bracelet flew from her chubby wrist. She let out a drunk, un-goddess-like cackle as the piece of jewellery skimmed over the clouds like a pebble over water.

"Whoooops. Hephaestus made me that for my birthday!" Demeter whined. She suddenly sprang up, trying to remember what they were talking about.

"Right. She's not a little girl any more, Dear. After all, by mortal standards she's nearly twenty. She's a young lady."

"Oh, Hera, she's still my baby. And she still acts like one too, throwing silly tantrums if she doesn't get her own way, the silly goose."

"_Persephone_ does?" Hera exclaimed, blue eyes widening. Demeter nodded, lowering her voice: she might think her daughter was a silly, spoiled little girl, but she wouldn't have the other Gods think badly of her.

"She is a very frivolous young lady. For someone so gentle, she is very bad-tempered ; sweet and loving, but manipulative; and for a goddess who thinks so much of others, she spends _several _thoughts on herself. Times like that she reminds me of her fath-"

Demeter cut herself off. **No**. That subject would not rear its ugly, unwelcome head, especially with Athena in earshot. The last thing she needed was her dirty chitons aired out in public. Demeter grumbled, thinking of only a couple of days ago, when Persephone was happily playing in the meadows, giggling and jumping in puddles and waving to her mother without a care in the world. Demeter sat with her weaving as Persephone plaited flowers prettily into her mother's hair; Persephone having hacked off her own hair prior. Then, just hours before the festivities, Persephone had run off and hidden, sulking and complaining that she didn't want to go to the party, and using tears to get her own way. Demeter, big softie that she was, had indulged her daughter's whim. Hera sighed, placing a nimble pink hand sympathetically on her sister's shoulder,

"I think you two need some time apart, or a long talk, at the very least. Persephone is a bright, cheerful and sweet Goddess, and I can see in her eyes how much she loves you. She's very beloved, and so much like you"

"That's the problem Hera, I look at her and see myself as a young Goddess; nubile and flippant and headstrong. Except when I was younger than Petal I had a full time job _and _a child to look after" the drunk-sobbing stage was threatening to rear its leaf-covered head "I love my child just as much as any mother. Probably more. I just don't want her to have the same Fate that I did".

'Easier said than done' Demeter thought, shuddering. Persephone was a beautiful young Goddess -there was the murmured opinion that she was lovelier than Aphrodite- but Persephone certainly wasn't as 'worldly wise' as the older Goddess. And that was the diplomatic way of putting it. That hadn't stopped the appreciative Gods from trying their luck, though. Apollo, the only candidate that was at least similar age to Persephone, was the most recent God to start sniffing around. Demeter had almost had a hernia when he requested an audience with her daughter; no way, not with _his_ track record. Over her Immortal body! Unfortunately, Gods and mortals alike would swarm her like flies around a honey pot, and save for keeping her on Sicily, there seemed to be nothing Demeter could do.

Well, almost nothing. Demeter looked down to her bracelet-less wrist, and a torch lit off in her head.

"Hephaestus? _Hephaestus_?"

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><p>Well, this was an interesting turn of events. Just <strong>how<strong> exactly had Athena and Aphrodite found themselves forcing polite chit-chat by the ice sculptures? Simple really, a shared passion for gossip.

"I'm curious about this experiment of Persephone's. I wonder what she's cooking up" said Athena.

"I'll bet it's something _pretty_" responded Aphrodite, thumbing the silky fabric of her dress.

Athena groaned "There's more to life than looking pretty"

Aphrodite scoffed "Okay, only the Goddess of Wisdom would say something like that. Sounds to me like someone wants a makeover" she cooed in a sing-song voice.

"Why do you always bring up the subject of makeovers? No bloomin' way! Logic will always rule over lipstick. Sounds like _you_ need to learn some lessons on life".

Aphrodite rolled her eyes dramatically. This was why she hardly associated with Athena: their squabbles over Brains v.s. Beauty rivalled the arguments Athena had with her brother.

"I used to teach Persephone you know, when she was a little Divine tot. She was so _cute_ with her knapsack and her braids, like a little Girl Sprout. She even got a gig at Prometheus Academy, until Demeter put her Divine foot down" Athena remarked with a wistful sigh. Just then, the two Goddesses were interrupted by Aphrodite's fiancée. Almost a century down the line, and she still hadn't married the poor sap.

"Heyyy, Honey. Getting' into the party spirit?"

Hephaestus looked bashful "Uh, almost. Demeter's asked me to make a chastity belt" he remarked, spinning his hammer like a baton.

"Bit late in the day for that, isn't it?" Athena sneered.

"No, silly. Fir Persephone" he chuckled. Athena was about to flip out over the 'silly' comment when:

"**NO!**" boomed a hammy, Zeus-esque cry from Aphrodite, burying her face in her hands "Not _another_ chaste Goddess!" she cried mournfully.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Dearie, you more than make up for the rest of us. Maybe I'll be able to take Young Persephone under my wing after all" Athena chuckled, Ibid fluffing his feathers in approval "My brother will be most unhappy"

"Ares? What's he got to do with it?"

"Well, I'm not one to gossip, but my brother asked Demeter for Persephone's hand in marriage. Needless to say, Demeter knocked that toe-rag down like a dryad in a lightning storm." Athena chuckled.

"But..that's a _terrible _idea. Ares would scare the living daylights out of her" Aphrodite remarked.

"Hermes proposed, too"

"_What?_Why am I always the last to know? That's a terrible idea too; Hermes is already married to his job" said Aphrodite.

"Last I heard, Apollo was the most recent suitor" Athena sighed.

"Oh my Gods, that's wild! That's crazy, that would...actually, I could see that working"

"What, _Apollo_? He couldn't be faithful even if you paid him" Athena sneered.

"True, but their kids would be _beautiful_"

"No bloomin' way! That kid has brains, and I'd see to it myself that she does something extraordinary" Athena vowed.

"Uhm, hello? She's a _Goddess_. Being extraordinary is part of the package" Aphrodite replied.

"All right then, let's make it interesting. Persephone comes up with something revolutionary, or you can give me a sodding' makeover" Athena vowed.

"_Really? _All right! You try and make her a teacher's pet, _I'll _see to it that Persephone is married off by the end of the year. If not then uh...you can make me your teaching project" Aphrodite proclaimed, reluctantly. Hephaestus cleared his throat.

"Aphrodite, Dear. How is she meant to get married when I'm supposed to be making-"

"Hold that thought, Honey; we're meddling."

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><p>There Hades was, just minding his own business and innocently picturing the Olympians <em>burning in Tartarus for all Eternity,<em> when something whacked into him from behind. It bounced off his shoulder blade and into his hand; one of those cool tricks that only happen once in the cosmos and could never be repeated. Go Figure no one was around to see it.

"Ouch! Hey, what's the deal? Olympic try-outs already? Come on, what's the-"

Inspecting the offending object – when really he should have been keeping his eyes on the road. Well, cloud- Hades guessed it was some sort of piece of tacky jewellery. Bronze and tubular, with a distinctive engraving of the Horn of Plenty. Bingo; Demeter. His horrifically brilliant mind began to work overdrive.

"Oh, yeah. _Hello _there, Leverage_" _he chuckled to himself. Nothing like some good old school plotting to lift his dwindling spirits. Maybe this artefact was the key to all of Demeter's powers; with this the whole world could be fed, or starved to Death and held for ransom (and if that plan didn't work, Hey, at least there'd be a boom in business). Perhaps it...Nope. It was literally just a bracelet, fine work courtesy of Hephaestus. Maybe he could still..nope, the moment was gone. The schemes sizzled up like his own hair. His face dropped, as did the chariot. Hades yelped, and pulled the reins, much to the annoyance of his screeching griffin. Thank the Gods no one had been around to see _that._

"Well, that idea went up in smoke" he sighed "Maybe I could return it to her anyway, out of the goodness of my chasm...Nah!"

Then, no sooner had his plan gone out the window, another bout of inspiration hit him like one of Zeusy's bolts. Sicily, Demeter's island. Her sacred place, the source of all her powers, her bachelorette pad; uninhibited and completely unmanned. Gods only knew what he'd find there.

Dot, dot, dot, cue foreshadowing.


End file.
